Autographs, selected. This piece consists of 311 items comprising 613 folios in all....

Autographs, selected. This piece consists of 311 items comprising 613 folios in all. The items were probably collected, and certainly worked on, in the early 1860s by William Lascelles, an assistant keeper at the Public Record Office and, from 1859 to 1866, secretary of the committee appointed to review government documents. Notes state that items come from sources including the Audit Office, Treasury Solicitor, Commissariat and Admiralty Papers, as well as correspondence with the Treasury. The collection consists predominantly of items from the reigns of George III, George IV and William IV, which are mainly of interest for their signatures, although some have been selected for the place and date of their signing eg. warrants signed by Sir John Moore at Corunna in 1809. The items are arranged alphabetically according to principal signature, usually under the title by which the individual was best known. Groups for whom signatures have been selected include the royal family, statesmen and politicians, holders of offices, ranging from lords commissioners of the Treasury to lord chamberlains, masters of the horse and masters of the Mint, a number of lord lieutenant generals and general governors of Ireland, a few prominent foreigners and a considerable number of senior naval and army officers.

Topics

Archives and libraries

Royalty

Ireland

Navy

Armed Forces (General Administration)